Years ago, George Harvey stuck lengths of HEAVY leader into bugs and
dropped them into a stream. The trout took them readily. His
conclusion: It ain't the sight of the tippet that scares the fish,
it's the drag.

You can read about this in both of George's books. I believe
Marinaro also mentions it.


I still fish the Yellowstone river valley spring creeks a fair
amount. Two three times a year anyway, after many years of guiding there.

I use 5x when everybody else uses 7x--because I like
to be able to land the occasional big fish, and very few fishermen
there catch more than I do. So I don't think leader diameter
matters that much.

I do think drag matters (as Vincent said).
I also think a floating leader matters, as Ken said.
A floating leader of any diameter dimples the surface tension,
making an unnatural pattern even I can see.

Fish are ten times spookier about strange stuff from above
than they are about strange stuff from below. Makes sense
when you think about it. Eagles, Osprey, cormorants, Mergansers,
Pelicans and mayflies all attack from above.





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